Class of 2019 NFL Draft Spotlight: Ed Reed
4/24/2019
Class of 2019 NFL Draft Spotlight: Ed Reed
Ed Reed is one of the most decorated athletes to ever play at the University of Miami and one of the most acclaimed collegiate secondary players of the past two decades.
In his redshirt freshman season in 1998, Reed started every game at free safety, ranking third on the team with 90 total tackles. He led the Hurricanes with four forced fumbles and had seven pass breakups and two interceptions. His spectacular freshman campaign earned him Freshman All-America honors.
Reed continued to wreak havoc in his second season, becoming the only member of Miami’s secondary to have a tackle for loss, forced fumble, fumble recovery, sack, interception, pass breakup and blocked punt all in one season. He totaled 74 tackles and recorded two more interceptions during the Hurricanes’ 9-4 season.
During his junior season, Reed went from a secondary standout to arguably the most important member of the Hurricanes’ roster. He was third on the team with 80 total tackles and picked eight passes off, returning two for scores. His interception total ranked third in the country. When he wasn’t intercepting passes, the ballhawk was breaking up any ball thrown within his sight — he broke up 23 passes in 12 games.
Reed was named First Team All-America and First Team All-BIG EAST following his prolific junior season.
While many had the playmaking safety declaring for the draft following his junior year, Reed returned for his senior year to continue his quest for a National Championship.
The bet payed off as Reed’s senior season was his best yet for the Hurricanes. He accumulated 44 total tackles and a team-high nine interceptions and 18 broken up passes. Overall, the Hurricanes were one of the best defenses in the nation, leading the country in scoring defense (9.4 points per game) and turnover margin (plus-2.36 per game).
The Hurricanes went a perfect 12-0 and claimed the coveted National Championship that Reed was so motivated to win in his final year.
As the icing on the cake, Reed was named consensus First Team All-America, and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award.
2002 NFL Draft
Reed entered the 2002 NFL Draft as one of the top secondary players on the board, with most analysts predicting that he’d be selected in the first round.
He wound up being the third secondary player taken off the draft board, being selected with the No. 24 pick by the Baltimore Ravens.
Reed is the first member of the 2002 NFL Draft class to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Other prominent members of the 2002 NFL Draft class include Julius Peppers, Roy Williams (safety), Dwight Freeney, Jeremy Shockey, Albert Haynesworth, Clinton Portis and Brian Westbrook.
Witness Ed Reed’s Enshrinement into the Hall of Fame
Ed Reed was an invaluable piece of two of the most feared defenses in the college and pro game of the past two decades and will be honored at 2019 Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls. See one of the greatest safeties to ever grace to field be immortalized in Canton with an Official Ticket Package to 2019 Enshrinement Week from HOF Experiences. Click below to see all available packages:
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